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The Under Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, today (March 21) said that significant progress in diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) had been achieved owing to significant improvements in technology and the enhanced awareness by the general public of public health.
She urged members of the public to maintain their support and cooperation to ensure the smooth implementation of policy and measures to combat TB, which remains one of the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide.
Speaking at the opening ceremony to mark 2015 World TB Day, Professor Chan said, "We need a series of long-term and strategic measures which are supported by the community to fight against TB."
She said that the chest clinics under the Department of Health's (DH) Centre for Health Protection (CHP) have played a major role in preventing TB and providing appropriate treatment while the Hospital Authority (HA) provides inpatient services to TB patients in need. The CHP's TB Laboratory was designated as the World Health Organization's (WHO) Supranational TB Reference Laboratory and has made significant contributions to the effective management of the disease. The honour reaffirmed the laboratory's proficiency in performing test services.
Professor Chan added that the proportion of drug-resistant TB (especially multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB), which are of particular concern in the healthcare sector, is not high in Hong Kong. Multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB accounted respectively for about 1 per cent and 0.1 per cent of the overall cases currently. Drug-resistant TB is related to the inappropriate use of drugs.
Also addressing the ceremony, the Controller of the CHP, Dr Leung Ting-hung, said, "The problems of TB control in Hong Kong include overcrowding, the ageing population and the rising number of people with diabetes mellitus and decreased immunity in recent years. All of these created greater difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment of TB.
"To effectively control TB, the DH has been committed to adopting the Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) method over the years. The DOT enables patients to take TB medication regularly under the direct observation and support of healthcare staff, so as to ensure that patients complete the whole treatment course. Figures revealed that the TB rate and chances of emergence of drug resistance can be minimised effectively through DOT," he added.
Dr Leung also advised to members of the public to take preventive measures including avoidance of smoking and alcohol, a balanced diet, suitable exercise, adequate rest and seeking medical advice promptly if symptoms develop.
According to the WHO, 9 million and 1.5 million people fell ill with and died from TB respectively in 2013 globally.
In Hong Kong, there were around 4,780 notified cases in 2014 (provisional figure) at a rate of 66 cases per 100,000 population, near the historical low for Hong Kong. In 2013, there were about 4,660 cases at a rate of around 65 cases per 100,000 people.
March 24 of each year is designated as World TB Day by the WHO to encourage global efforts to combat TB together. The theme of the 2015 World TB Day campaign is "Working together to control tuberculosis ".
Today's ceremony was organised by the Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Diseases Association in collaboration with the DH and the HA. A two-day exhibition and educational activities are being held at West Commercial Block, Marina Square, Ap Lei Chau, to disseminate the anti-TB message through games, exhibition boards and booths.
The Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Diseases Association, Dr Vitus Leung, and the Chief Manager (Infection, Emergency and Contingency) of the Hospital Authority, Dr Liu Shao-haei, were among the officiating guests.
For more TB-related information, services and figures, the public may visit the CHP's page on World TB Day (www.chp.gov.hk/en/view_content/38395.html) and the website of the Tuberculosis and Chest Service (www.info.gov.hk/tb_chest), call the TB telephone hotline (2572 6024) or browse the WHO's TB page (www.who.int/tb).
Ends/Saturday, March 21, 2015
Issued at HKT 13:40
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